


Adventure

by xadiasmoon



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Adventure, Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:07:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26906365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xadiasmoon/pseuds/xadiasmoon
Summary: What if Rayla didn't end up saying "I can do this" in season 1 and try to kill Ezran? Where would the story of Ezran and Callum carry on then?
Relationships: Callum & Ezran & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	Adventure

**Author's Note:**

> IMPORTANT!!!
> 
> This is an idea for a multi-chapter fic i had but then realized wouldn’t work, so i decided to write part of it as a oneshot. i think this would be considered a canon divergence?
> 
> Rayla gets kicked off the mission as what happened in s1. She travels to the nearest human settlement, the Banther Lodge. She stays there, waiting for any humans to show up. She might be able to get something out of them. 
> 
> In the castle, Callum can’t find Ezran and begins to panic. He finds the jelly handprints on the side of a painting in Viren’s office and goes looking in the tunnels, eventually running into Ezran. Ez shows Callum the egg and they puzzle the pieces together, realizing that Viren had stolen the egg. They take the egg, knowing that they’d have to eventually try to find a way to return it to the Dragon Queen.
> 
> That night, Amaya led the princes to the banther lodge for the night, since it wasn’t safe at the castle. It was the night King Harrow was getting assassinated. 
> 
> This oneshot continues on that backstory.

Callum sat on the horse in silence. Ezran was riding along on another horse beside him. The princes knew that tonight would be a grave night for the kingdom. Their aunt Amaya was leading in front of them, a few guards treading along beside her. They were heading to the banther lodge, where the princes would stay for the night. It was safer than staying at the castle.

Tonight would be the night that King Harrow got assassinated. Callum’s stepfather. Ezran’s father. 

They had both overheard Viren talking to his children about the Moonshadow elves coming that night. Time had stopped for Callum. He barely believed it at first but then thought back to Harrow’s behavior from earlier that day and it sank in.

The wind blowing through Callum’s hair was beginning to irritate him. His legs ached from riding all day. The saddle wasn't made for comfort, and his muscles felt it. Everything at this point would get on his nerves. All he could think of was how he didn’t appreciate his stepfather enough while he still had him. He was Callum's only parental figure left and he had wasted it thinking that Harrow hadn’t considered him as a son. 

Ezran always nagged his brother to call Harrow “dad” but Callum refused. He had a mindset in his head that the King didn’t want him too close, that he didn’t care for him much. He understood earlier that day how wrong he was. Harrow really cared about him. But the young prince didn’t realize that until it was too late. Now he couldn’t spend any time with his stepfather and tell him how much he cared about him without knowing. 

But Callum couldn’t imagine how Ezran felt. Harrow was his first father, and only father, unlike Callum, who'd scarcely known his birth father. Harrow had always been there for Ezran. And now he’s gone. The King wouldn’t be there to sing Ezran any lullabies before going to sleep. No more forehead kisses. No more fun games of hide and seek in the throne room. 

The newfound dragon egg in Ezran’s bag was heavy but he didn’t let Callum carry it because he thought it was a weight he had to carry on his own, but Callum knew he was going to have to talk to him about it. 

But their father would soon be dead and there was nothing they could do about it. Even their last goodbye didn’t seem real. The only physical memory he had left of him now was the letter that the King gave him during their last conversation. 

As they’d walked away from him, away from the throne room, away from him. Every second that passed her was closer to his death. The idea was still hard for Callum to grasp, too far from his reach. It seemed unbelievable, like there was no way it could happen. But he opened his eyes and the truth would come crashing onto him.

Callum let out a sigh through his nose. He glanced at his brother from the corner of his eye; Who was red-eyed and trying to hold in sniffles. Ahead of them, Amaya was sitting straight on her horse, probably holding a fierce look on her face, but Callum knew she didn’t feel very brave. Knowing her, she was going to put a brave face on for him and his brother.

But that didn’t make things better.

The young step-prince promised himself that he would always be there to take care of Ezran and do whatever it takes to make sure he’s safe. He’d help him grow into a mature and confident king. 

King. Ezran would be king. He was next in line for the throne. But he’s so young. Thinking of such a burden on his brother made Callum’s heart sink. Ezran didn’t have an older figure to look to. No one to help him.

Pushing the thoughts out of his head, Callum focused on not falling off his horse.

-

Rayla sat on the grass with her legs crossed, back slouched, and head low. She let out a long sigh.

She failed Runaan. This was supposed to be her first mission. And it was supposed to be successful. Now there was a chance that everything would go wrong. All because of her. All because she was too weak to kill a single human. 

She brought her knees up to her chest and laid her chin there. She pouted. Now she had nothing to do. She couldn’t face going back home to the Silvergrove. She just couldn’t. It would be too embarrassing going back empty-handed, and worst of all, having people know that she betrayed the leader. She didn’t want to turn out like her parents, elves who abandoned the Dragonguard and failed their duty. They betrayed everyone. Rayla didn’t want to become like them.

The sharp winds caused Rayla to shiver. She was seasoned against the cold, but it bit sharper this time. The suspenseful fear that began creeping up on her was beginning to take a hold of her. She really had nowhere to go now. What would she do? She couldn’t sit around in the bushes all day.

She began twiddling with her binding. That stupid binding. If the mission fails she’d lose more people and even her own hand. Regret was beginning to bubble up in her chest. Maybe Ethari was right. Maybe she wasn’t ready.

She let out another sigh. Someday she’ll be ready. 

-

Callum lay with his eyes wide open. He couldn’t sleep. 

His only remaining parental figure was going to die and he still couldn’t get that through his head. He couldn’t do anything. Absolutely nothing. He stared at the ceiling. His body would not fall asleep.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he sat up and swung his legs onto the side of the bed, running his hands through his thick hair. Finally deciding that he wouldn’t be able to get any sleep for a while, he stood up and left the room. He trailed to the lower floor and found himself in front of the dining table, suddenly hungry.

He squatted down and checked inside a cabinet. Old stale bread. He couldn’t eat that. His aunt Amaya would bring more food tomorrow morning when she comes back. Trying to ignore the growling in his stomach, he walked back to the room he was sleeping in, picked up his sketchbook, and tiptoed back down, going outside. He didn’t mind the dark. It was comforting in a way. It was a way he could hide from the rest of the world.

Sitting on the front step, he inhaled the night air and began to sketch. His pencil moved on its own before he knew anything. The oil lamps bolted to the wall of the lodge helped illuminate his surroundings. 

Crickets chirped, the wind blew, bushes rustled, and it was all too loud for him. His concentration snapped as the tip of his pencil chipped. He glanced at the sketch his pencil traced. 

Harrow. 

He snapped his sketchbook shut and let out a grunt. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and put his hands on his face, wanting to conceal himself. He took deep breaths, a trick his mother always told him when he began to panic. Counting also helped. As childish as it seemed, it really helped.

He tried not to think about the way Harrow always tried to connect with him, but always kept his boundaries because he didn’t want to interfere and make him feel bad about his real dad, The way he’d play games with him and Ezran to cheer them up when they were in a low time, the way he gave him his sketchbook and supported and encouraged his wanted path to become an artist. 

Callum let out a choked sob, quickly covering his mouth. He tried blocking his mind, to prevent him from having these thoughts. He had to get over it, this wasn’t a time for a breakdown. 

Yet he was alone. Outside in the dark, where no one could see him. Not even the finest guards in the kingdom could protect their dad. The Moonshadow elves were dangerous forces and were unbeatable under a full moon. 

He looked up at the moon. It outshone the clouds attempting to cover it. It was beautiful. But it had a menacing glow behind it. Then he looked down at the bright egg, shining with many colors of the rainbow. They didn’t know what to do with it. They had no way to return the egg to Xadia, they couldn’t just run away. He clung onto his sleeve to wipe his wet eyes. 

He heard the sound of the door behind him squeaking open, but didn’t look over his shoulder to see who it was. Quickly regaining his composure, he recognized his brother’s light footsteps.

Ezran sat beside him, pressing himself to Callum’s side and laying his head on his shoulder. The dragon egg sat on his lap, brightly glowing.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Ezran shook his head. “Yeah, me neither.”

He hoped his eyes weren’t red. He didn’t want to look vulnerable in front of his little brother, especially now.

Taking one more deep breath, he put his head on top of Ezran’s.

He took out his sketchbook again, daring to open it, and turned to his most decent drawing. The one of Harrow. He was wearing his crown, a little lopsided, and his long dreadlocks frizzing a bit, a result of bed hair. A proud smile was plastered onto his face as he looked out to the distance.

“You should frame your drawings someday,” Ezran whispered, “they’re beautiful.”

He considered it for a moment. “Maybe someday.”

They stayed still like that for a few minutes, in silence. 

But a small sound filled the air. It was a light sob, a pained sound. It was broken and sounded desperate. His heartbeat picked up. The bushes near the lodge rustled. There was someone over there.

Startled, his brother looked to him with wide eyes.

Callum paused for a moment, contemplating what he could do. He could run back inside. He could check the source of the sound. Or he could panic. 

But Ezran seemed to come to a decision first. He was suddenly not at Callum’s side anymore and was on the tips of his feet, going towards the nearby bushes. The egg was securely stored in his knapsack.

“Ezran!” He whispered loudly, going after him, “Get back here!”

But his brother didn’t listen and kept tiptoeing towards the bushes, eventually entering a clearing.

There was a rock with somebody leaning their back against it. Their head rested on their knees, drawn close to their chest. 

The first thing he noticed was the lengthy silver hair spilling over their shoulders. 

The second thing he noticed were the horns coming out of their head.

As he pieced the puzzle together, he let out a loud gasp. His brother mirrored the expression. 

The elf’s head snapped. A girl, not much older than Callum. She glared at them with her lilac eyes. But they were bloodshot and puffy. She had blue markings streaking down her face to her mouth. Her complexion was firm and solid. 

He quickly pushed Ezran out of the way and jumped in front of him when he realized she was getting to her feet, her blades now in his face, heavily breathing.

“Don’t move, human.”

He gasped but didn't move. “You’re-- you’re an elf!” A Moonshadow elf, specifically. And a beautiful one at that.

“Yes, and now I’m going to need you to stay still. Don’t move, and everything will be fine. Now, I’m looking for the prince. Prince Ezran.” 

Her words resonated in his ear, echoing in his head. 

The elves were also planning to assassinate Ezran.

He firmly stood in front of his brother, covering him from the elf’s sight as much as he could. Ezran stood still. Callum silently thanked him in his head. “But why?”

She straightened her back, pointing her blades at him once again. “This is justice! Humans attacked us unprovoked.”

His heartbeat quickened. “So it’s ok for you to do the same thing?” It made no sense.

She pulled away for a moment, “Well, no, it’s not the same thing, because _we’re _attacking you _provoked _.”____

____He put his hand on his chest, close to his heart. “Then it’s a cycle. You hurt me, someone will get revenge against the elves. It won’t end.” It would continue and never stop. It was a reason his father was going to be gone tonight._ _ _ _

____“You can’t-”_ _ _ _

____Her eyes widened as they noticed something lying beside him. Her blades slightly lowered as her concentration in him snapped. The egg had slipped out of Ezran’s bag and rolled out onto the grass. She gaped, her eyes glowing at the reflection of the shiny surface of the egg._ _ _ _

____“Is that- no, it can’t be.”_ _ _ _

____Her once firm voice cracked and her hard gaze softened. She reached toward the egg, hesitating. Callum relaxed a little at seeing her falter. He held his breath as she neared. She carefully touched the bright egg with the tip of her fingers. Her shoulders slightly slumped, seemingly forgetting her motives for a moment. “How is... ?”_ _ _ _

____Her eyes snapped up to his. She stood back up, her blade at his face again. A gust of wind caused Callum to shiver, the elf stayed unmoved and unaffected by it. Her hair flowed along with the wind current, the clouds parted to reveal the full moon. Her entire body began to blend with the light of the moon. She could barely be seen, yet was glowing._ _ _ _

____“I don’t know what you and those other monsters you call humans did, but this egg does not belong here, and it never will. What reason do I have not to end you right this second? Humans cut down the king of the dragons.” She spat. Her anger was beginning to rise, and Callum quickly thought of a way to talk her out of swiping him with her blade._ _ _ _

____He thought for a moment. Moonshadow elves are invincible under the full moon. He’d heard Viren state that once or twice. This must be the Moonshadow form he mentioned._ _ _ _

____But she didn’t seem like she’d kill him. He saw the way her gaze faltered._ _ _ _

____“Wait! Hang on- just- just listen for a sec.” He stood up, picking the egg up, nestling it into his arms. “Just listen. Please.”_ _ _ _

____She lowered her blade, a sign for him to continue. He could almost hear her telling him to “get on with it” in her thoughts._ _ _ _

____He cleared his throat. “Uh, as you know, tonight was the night the Moonshadow assassins went to the castle to kill the king.” Why was he telling her this? She’s a Moonshadow elf, of course she would know. He shook his head, clearing his head._ _ _ _

____“Anyways, yeah, my brother and I found this egg in the dark mage’s secret chamber below the castle. We figured that the egg didn’t belong there at all, so we kinda, sorta, took it.” He scratched his neck. He was talking to a stranger, giving her information he and his brother were supposed to keep a secret. He would scold himself later._ _ _ _

____The elf put a hand on her hip (Callum had to squint to see her) and raised her eyebrows. “And what do you expect to do with the egg now?” Her voice was cold. She gestured to the egg._ _ _ _

____Ezran stepped forward, a bit more relaxed than before. “Well, we don’t really know yet, but we do know that we want to try our best to somehow take it back to Xadia.” That part, they haven’t thought about. How could they possibly get to Xadia?_ _ _ _

____“You’re humans. You can’t go to Xadia and you have no reason to want to return a dragon egg. You do know you’ll have to give it directly to the Dragon Queen?”_ _ _ _

____He thought for a moment. Why _were _they even trying to return it? His brother answered first, his fear gone and eyes firm yet soft. “We just want peace between Xadia and the human kingdoms. Continuing to kill each other won’t solve anything. Please.”___ _ _ _

______Callum stepped up. “We know what the humans did was wrong. Xadia also has some wrongdoings. But that’s why we have to end the cycle. If we keep killing each other, that doesn’t change anything.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______She sighed. “This- this changes everything. I- I- there's one thing I could possibly do- Wait, you said the dark mage? The one in Katolis? How would you be at the castle in the first place?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______His mouth parted to reply but it seemed like she pieced it together at the way her eyes widened right as the words rolled off her tongue._ _ _ _ _ _

______Her body slowly came back to its normal colors, and a second later, she dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook as she let out a hoarse sob._ _ _ _ _ _

______The assassin was… _crying_._ _ _ _ _ _

______Out of instinct, he hesitantly reached out to her. His hand quickly retracted back as she looked back up at him moments later. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, heavily breathing. She stood up._ _ _ _ _ _

______Her voice cracked, her shoulders hunched, and gaze fluttering. “Right, um, anyway, I shouldn’t be here, but I think there might be a way to stop the other Moonshadow assassins.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Callum raised a brow, still needing a minute to process what just happened. She’d gotten up as if she didn’t just have a meltdown in front of them._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______“Runaan, the leader of the assassins. I… I might be able to stop him. I might be able to convince him to stop the mission. This egg needs to go back to its mother, and I’m going to have to find a way to make that happen.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Callum was taken back. “ _You? _You take it back? We found the egg. And _we_ need to take it back to Xadia. It’s the gesture that matters. Us taking it to the Dragon Queen. That’s how we’re doing to have a chance at peace.” He didn’t have it in him to yell at her, but if elves took the egg back, that would only make things worse, with the Dragon Queen knowing the humans held it hostage for so long. ___ _ _ _ _ _

________She sighed. “Fine, fine. But I’m going to have to take the egg with me to show him, he’s not going to believe me at all.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Ezran looked at his brother. Should they let her take it? No. Callum shook his head. She could just run off with it and return it on his own. She could be lying. They couldn’t risk it. Ezran looked back at her again. “No, we can take it to show him. Just lead the way.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________But the elf didn’t seem to like the idea. “What are you talking about? You’re wishing for your death, child. He’s a highly trained Moonshadow assassin and it’s a full moon.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What other choice do we have? You could just take the egg and go return it to Xadia.” Callum’s blood was beginning to boil._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She let out a frustrated groan. “Fine! I’ll go without it then.” And off she went, gaining ground, and speed, quickly. so she was jumping from treetop to treetop._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The princes stood there, frozen. Ezran plopped down on the grass, his eyes wide. “Um… what just happened?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Callum shook his head, "I don't know."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Rayla swung from tree to tree. She sighed and shook her head. The princes of Katolis. She had a job to do. To kill the crown prince. But she hadn’t known there was another one._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She was supposed to kill them. Not help them in any way. What had she done? Runaan was right when he took her off the mission. She wasn’t strong enough._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Stopping for a moment, she took a deep breath of air to regain her composure. The warm, damp air helped calm her nerves. She could do this. She could stop Runaan. But why did she want to stop him? Weren’t they supposed to get justice for the slain Dragon King?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________But the princes had somehow found the dragon egg. And it changed everything, maybe, just maybe, it could bring peace._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________“The Sun is down, and the Moon is high.  
Baby yawns wide with a sleepy sigh.  
The Sky fills up with Stars that blink.  
Baby’s eyelids start to sink.  
The Ocean kisses the Earth good night.  
The waves say hushhh… little babe, sleep tight.”_ _ _ _ _

________Callum attempted to recall the lullaby his stepfather sang to Ezran every night. He wasn’t the best singer, but he whispered the song, brushing some of Ezan’s fluffy hair out of his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Tucking him in and giving him a small kiss on the forehead, he tried to assure him that everything would be alright. They were there for each other and that was all that mattered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Ezran turned to his side and closed his eyes, an arm slung around Bait._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Callum sighed. He placed the bright dragon egg in his brother’s bag. Then he grabbed his sketchbook and walked back outside, to the front of the lodge, and decided to continue his drawing of Harrow that he was working on earlier in the night._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________All that was left were some shading and minor details to the clothes. He sat with his sketchbook on his knees and his tongue sticking out. Some light shade on Harrow’s eyes. They were green, but Callum didn’t currently hold any colors with him, so he stuck to his pencil. Dark lips. Shiny golden trinkets. His crown and loops to hold his dreadlocks together._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________A small sound of light footsteps crunching on the grass alerted him. His head snapped up as he spotted the elf, she jumped down from a tree, rushing toward him. He scrambled to stand up. “Uh- so-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She shook her head, heavily breathing, beads of sweat stuck on her forehead. “No. I couldn’t get through to him.” She turned and began walking away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Callum thought quickly. He quickly grabbed her arm. “Wait.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He tried to form his words together as she raised her eyebrow. “Um, where are you going to go now?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Her shoulders slumped. Her hand shot to her opposing wrist, fiddling with a thin silver ribbon. He eyed it for a moment, but then thought nothing of it. “You don’t need to concern yourself with that. I’ll be off, and you’ll just proceed with your royal life as if nothing happened.” She crossed her arms. “I’ll be fine. You have no reason to worry. Now go on, it’s late, get some sleep.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He shook his head. She wasn’t fooling anyone. He noticed the way she avoided his gaze, her voice slightly cracking. “Come inside, at least spend the night. It’s not safe out in the dark, and from what I’ve heard, Xadia is pretty far from here.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I’m a Moonshadow elf.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Right._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She sighed and her lips slightly twisted upwards in a small smirk. “Fine. Just for tonight. But I’m an elf. Why in Xadia are you trusting me?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He scratched his neck and looked downwards, looking anywhere but her eyes. “Sometimes people say or do things they don’t mean that could lead to consequences. But some people can be forgiven for them. You haven’t taken a life yet, have you?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She winced, shaking her head. His heart raced for a moment, thinking he hit a nerve. He filed that thought in for later. But he continued, “And… I don’t think you’re gonna kill me, or at least I hope not-” He frantically waved his hands in front of him. He mentally facepalmed. He was so awkward and terrible at conversations. “But yeah, I just don’t want you to be alone in the dark, no one deserves that.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________And though she threatened to kill him before, deep down, he knew she wouldn’t now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He sat back down on the front of the lodge. The elf took a hesitant step and went to sit on the step along with him, keeping her distance of a few feet. She raised one knee and placed her chin on it, a scowl still painted on her face. Callum took a deep breath and continued his sketch. His arm covered the sketchbook so that she couldn’t see it. It was for the best. The king was who she was supposed to kill today._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Minutes later, he stood up. The elf was sitting with her back slouched and her head leaning against the wooden beam on the side, blankly staring into the woods._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He held his hand out and whispered, “Come on, it’s getting late.” She turned her head to look at him, staring for a moment, eyes flicking from his outstretched hand to his face. She slowly placed her hand on his. His big hands encased around her small petite ones as he pulled her up, ignoring the warmth creeping up on his face. As soon as she was on her feet, she snatched her hand back and went back to twiddling with her ribbon._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He led her inside. She seated herself on a nearby couch, placing her hands on her lap. She was alert, with her ears perked up and her back straight. But Callum supposed he couldn’t blame her. She was in new territory after all._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He remembered that he hadn’t introduced himself. “By the way, uh, I’m Callum, and that was my brother Ezran.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Oh, um, my name is Rayla.” She pursed her lips, gazing anywhere but him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He stuck his hands in his pocket and nodded his head toward the stairs. “I’ll lead you to a room you can stay in for the night.” He led her up the stairs, taking a turn and entering the nearest empty room. It had a simple twin-sized bed and a nightstand beside it. A small window streamed moonlight into the room. A candle sat on a nearby dresser waiting to be lit. Rayla would be able to get situated comfortably in the room, he supposed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She strode to the bed and sat. Callum took a deep breath. “We’ll decide what to do with the egg tomorrow. Goodnight.” And slipped out of the room._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Callum slumped onto his bed after silently entering his and Ezran’s shared room. He turned to his side, facing the door._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________His heart was racing and refused to slow down. The elf seemed so broken. He hadn’t met a Moonshadow elf before. And he didn’t expect them to be like this. Maybe it was just her. Maybe she was the unique one. Her intentions seemed well and he was sure she had a good heart._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________But her leader seemed to be the opposite. Had the elves gotten Harrow yet? What had happened at the castle? He wouldn’t know. His Aunt Amaya was coming to the lodge tomorrow morning, and hopefully, she’d have something to report._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________But the egg. They had to continue hiding it. He imagined going to Xadia, what it would be like. Was there magic everywhere? What kinds of creatures would there be? How different is it from the human kingdoms? He secretly hoped he’d be able to find out._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She shouldn’t have done that. Why did she do that? She trusted humans. Runaan would be so disappointed. Rayla was supposed to kill the humans. Not team up with them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________And much less have a breakdown right in front of them. It was so childish. But the people she was supposed to kill could end a war. And she was conflicted. She just couldn’t kill the young prince, no matter the consequences._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She should have taken the egg with her. Runaan would have believed her then. Why were the princes so stubborn? It would have made things easier and had a chance at Runaan believing her. He had said something about not being able to call the mission off, and Rayla blamed the stupid bindings that were forced upon them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________How did they expect to take the egg back to Xadia? Humans weren’t welcome there and would never be. If they would just let her take it and return it herself. But the boy, Callum, had a point. It needed to come from humans so they could have peace. She let out an exasperated groan, melting onto the fluffy pillow under her. She couldn’t even look at herself anymore. She betrayed the Moonshadow elves._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________But she hoped it was worth it. It seemed like she had an adventure ahead of her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> hope u enoyed!! i worked pretty hard on this even though it's a bit rushed, but i was limited with what i could do with it. this is something new i decided to try, and i hope it's turned out well. let me know what u thought :)


End file.
